His family eventually settled in Busan. Since his father did not want to become a government employee, as he had been in North Korea, his father started a business selling socks, which left his family in great debt. His mother became the breadwinner by selling clothes received from relief organisations and delivering briquettes. Moon's family became attached to the Catholic Church when his mother went to the local cathedral to receive whole milk powder. Moon once said in an interview that he didn't know how to ride a bike since his family was too desperately poor to afford a bike or monthly school tuition.

After his discharge, the death of his father influenced him to decide to take the Bar Exam. He went into Daeheungsa, the Buddhist temple, to study for the exam and passed the first of two rounds in 1979. In 1980 he returned to school to complete his remaining year of studies. Later that year, he passed the second round and was admitted to the Judicial Research and Training Institute. He graduated second in his class but was not admitted to become a judge or government prosecutor due to his history of activism against the Yushin dictatorship under Park Chung-hee's rule as a student.[15] Moon chose to go into private practice instead.

After becoming a lawyer, he partnered and worked with future President Roh Moo-hyun in the 1980s.[16] Along with Roh, he took cases involving human rights and civil rights issues defending labor rights activists and students persecuted for opposing Korea's then military dictatorship.[17] They remained friends up until Roh's suicide in 2009.

Despite his earlier indifference, he began to get involved in politics. He published a memoir called Moon Jae-in: The Destiny which became a bestseller.[21] His popularity had been rising steady against the likely opponent in the presidential race, Park Geun-hye. For instance, in a February 2012 poll, Moon rivaled Park in popularity.[22]

Moon managed to capitalize on the conservatives' decline in popularity amid a series of corruption scandals. As one pundit said, "Moon had managed to portray himself as a moderate and rational leader who has the backing of the younger generation".[23]

He ran for the 2012 presidential election as the Democratic United Party's candidate in a three-way race against Park Geun-hye, the incumbent ruling party's candidate and daughter of the late president Park Chung-hee,[24] as well as independent software mogul Ahn Cheol-soo. Ahn dropped out of the race and endorsed Moon after polls showed a most likely definitive loss for both candidates were there to be a three-way race against Park. Moon went on to lose the election.

Moon was elected as the leader of New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) on February 2, 2015. Prior to his election, Moon and NPAD party leader and 2012 presidential candidate rival Ahn Cheol-soo had many public disputes over the direction of the party.

On May 10, 2017, Moon ended his campaign by winning 41.1% votes (with 13,423,800 votes) to win the plurality of votes.[26] As Moon was elected in a special election, he did not have the 60 days of transitional period of previous administrations, but was instead inaugurated the day after the election.

Moon's campaign promise in 2017 included intentions to put a 10 trillion won ($8.9 billion) fiscal stimulus to support job creation, start-ups, and small to mid-sized companies. His announced goal is to create 810,000 public sector jobs through raising taxes on the wealthy.[27]

Moon's policy against corporate corruption, specifically in regards to Korean conglomerates known as "chaebols " is to give "minority shareholders more power in electing board members" of the companies.[27]

In a televised presidential debate, Moon said he opposes homosexuality, in response to conservative candidate Hong Jun-pyo's remarks that gay soldiers were a source of weakness in the South Korean military. Moon's remark prompted immediate criticism during the debate from Sim Sang-jung, the sole presidential candidate to support LGBT rights and a member of the leftist Justice Party.[29] The conservative remark also prompted outrage from gay rights activists, considering Moon's representation as the leading liberal candidate and former human rights lawyer. Some of Moon's supporters dismissed the comments as a necessity to win, as South Koreans tend to be conservative in social issues.[30] Moon later clarified his comments suggesting that he still believes there should be no discrimination based on sexual orientation while opposing legalizing same-sex marriage.[31]

Moon has favored a peaceful reunification between the two Koreas. He was both widely criticized and widely praised for his comments stating that his first visit if elected president would be to visit North Korea, a visit that would be not unlike Roh Moo-hyun's visit to the country in 2007. Similarly, Moon's foreign policy towards North Korea is considered to closely align with the Sunshine Policy embraced by former liberal presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun.[19]

Moon's relatively liberal stance in foreign policy is reflected as he is quoted in a book: "I'm pro-U.S., but now South Korea should adopt diplomacy in which it can discuss a U.S. request and say no to the Americans."[33] He opposes a re-balance of the security alliance with the United States, but has also stated that he would like South Korea "to be able to take the lead on matters on the Korean Peninsula."[19] At the same time, Moon has stated that he considers America as a "friend" for its role in helping South Korea avoid communism while helping its economic growth.[34]

Moon was sworn into office immediately after official votes were counted on May 10, replacing Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn. There was no transition period between the election and inauguration, unlike other presidential elections due to the nature of an election following a presidential impeachment.[35] He will serve out the typical single five-year term with his presidential term concluding in 2022.[36]

South Korea's economic growth has been attributed in large part to Chaebols, or family-owned conglomerates. Prominent examples of conglomerates include Samsung and Hyundai. Following various corruption scandals (Samsung's vice-chairman Lee Jae-yong serving a suspended jail sentence),[37] concentrated power (collusion), connections with the government including most recently the 2016 Choi Soon-sil scandal which ultimately led to the special election Moon won, one of Moon's biggest areas of focus during the campaign was reforms at chaebols including greater transparency in the companies' corporate governance structure. Moon appointed "chaebol sniper" Kim Sang-jo, a well-known shareholder activist, to the role of fair-trade commissioner aimed at reforming chaebols.[38]

Moon's predecessor and daughter of Park Chung-hee, Park Geun-hye, originally planned to mandate usage of state-issued history textbooks in 2018. Moon reversed these plans in May 2017 in one of his first major acts as president. Critics of Park's original plan saw this as a way for Park to mitigate some representations of her father's oppressive policies under a dictatorial rule, only highlighting the positive accomplishments of the past. Park had stated she wanted to replace the "left-leaning" books with those created from the government that would instill greater patriotism.[39] Although the Park government had responded to backlash by switching its official position on requiring the textbooks and allowing schools to choose the state-issued, Moon's action scrapped the program altogether. Schools will continue to choose privately published, government-approved textbooks written under educational guidelines instead.[40]

Moon had promised during his campaign to adopt a dog from an animal sanctuary. This was considered relevant to South Korean politics as the country allows for consumption of dog meat. His administration adopted Tory, a four-year-old black mongrel who was saved from a dog meat farm, from an animal rights group. The move was considered to send "a strong message against the [dog meat] trade".[41]

Moon's administration has focused on increasing South Korea's consumption of natural gas, away from nuclear and coal as sources of energy. These plans include delaying construction on nuclear reactors as well as re-opening dialogue around a natural gas pipeline that would come from Russia and pass through North Korea.[42] At the event on June 19, 2017 marking the end of operations at South Korea's oldest nuclear reactor, Kori Unit 1, Moon outlined his plan for the future of energy in Korea, saying "we will abandon the development policy centred on nuclear power plants and exit the era of nuclear energy." This would be implemented by canceling plans for new nuclear power plants and not renewing licenses for operating plants. In addition, he shut down eight coal-fired power plants upon assuming office in May 2017, and pledged to shut down the remaining ten coal plants by the end of his term. In the long term, he envisioned renewable sources would eventually be able to meet Korea's demand, but in the interim, proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a stopgap measure while coal and nuclear were taken offline in the coming decades.[43]

Moon visited the United States to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in June 2017, discussing U.S.-Korea trade relations as well as North Korea's missile programs.[44] Moon revealed in a joint news conference that President Trump accepted an invitation to visit South Korea.[45]

Outlining his North Korea strategy in a speech in Berlin, Germany, on July 6, 2017, Moon characterized the process leading to unification as a long-term project, rather than laying out any detailed plans for a unified Korea. He emphasized alliance with the United States and specified the need to assure dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear weapons program. At the same time he presented the question of unification in a regional context and signaled his hopes of working in cooperation with the international community. He supported sanctions against North Korea, while leaving open the possibility of their being rescinded, and indicated that it is crucial to establish a peace treaty with North Korea to end the Korean War officially in exchange for denuclearization.[46]

As of late July, following North Korea's latest missile launch and increasingly aggressive actions, Moon asked the U.S. permission to build up its domestic defense systems and temporarily set up a full THAAD system.[47]

Kim and Moon met again on 26 May. The second meeting was also at the DMZ, this time on the North Korean side of the Panmunjom village.[49] The meeting took two hours. The meeting had not been publicly announced beforehand.[50] The meeting was largely centered around the cancelled summit with Donald Trump.[49]

Kim Jung-sook with Ivanka Trump at the 2018 Winter Olympics, 24 February 2018

Moon married Kim Jung-sook, a vocalist from the same university he attended. He and Kim both individually revealed in separate Korean talk shows that they both met each other when Moon was a student activist protesting the Yushin Constitution.[51]

Moon has three pets: two dogs (Korean: 마루, translit.Maru, a Pungsan dog, and Korean: 토리, translit.Tory, a mixed-breed) and one cat (Korean: 찡찡, translit.Jjing-jjing). Jjing-jjing is the country's first-ever "first cat",[52] and Tory was adopted from a shelter, in contrast with other "first dogs", which had traditionally been purebred Jindo dogs.[53][54] Moon stated at Tory's adoption that "we need to pay more attention to abandoned animals and care for them as a society" and that he wanted to remove the stigma against Tory's dark coat, which contributed to him being virtually unadoptable for two years after he was rescued in 2015.[55]

1.
Korean name
–
A Korean name consists of a family name followed by a given name, as used by the Korean people in both South Korea and North Korea. In the Korean language, ireum or seongmyeong usually refers to the family name, traditional Korean family names typically consist of only one syllable. There is no name in the English language sense. Many Koreans have their names made of a generational name syllable. The generational name syllable is shared by siblings in North Korea, married men and women usually keep their full personal names, and children inherit the fathers family name. The family names are subdivided into bongwan, i. e. extended families which originate in the system used in previous historical periods. Each clan is identified by a place, and traces its origin to a common patrilineal ancestor. During periods of Mongol influence, the ruling class supplemented their Korean names with Mongolian names, some keep the original order of names, while others reverse the names to match the usual Western pattern. Fewer than 300 Korean family names were in use in 2000, for various reasons, there is a growth in the number of Korean surnames. Each family name is divided into one or more clans, identifying the city of origin. For example, the most populous clan is Gimhae Kim, that is, clans are further subdivided into various pa, or branches stemming from a more recent common ancestor, so that a full identification of a persons family name would be clan-surname-branch. Traditionally, Korean women keep their names after their marriage. In the premodern, patriarchal Korean society, people were extremely conscious of familial values, Korean women keep their surnames after marriage based on traditional reasoning that it is what they inherited from their parents and ancestors, and cannot be changed. According to traditions, each clan publishes a comprehensive genealogy every 30 years, around a dozen two-syllable surnames are used, all of which rank after the 100 most common surnames. The five most common names, which together make up over half of the Korean population, are used by over 20 million people in South Korea. After the 2015 census, it was revealed that family names were becoming more common in South Korea. Between 2000 and 2015, more than 4,800 new surnames were registered, during the census, a total of 5,582 distinct surnames were collected, 73% of which do not have corresponding hanja characters. It was also revealed that despite the surge in the number of surnames, the ratio of top 10 surnames had not changed

2.
President of South Korea
–
The president is directly elected to a five-year term with no possibility of re-election. While in office, the chief executive lives in Cheong Wa Dae, on February 25,2013, Park Geun-hye became the 18th President of South Korea. She was also the first woman to assume this post and she has since been impeached on corruption charges, which was confirmed by the Constitutional Court of Korea on March 10,2017, removing her from office. Prime minister Hwang Kyo-ahn has been Acting President since 9 December 2016, chapter 3 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea states the duties and the powers of the president. The president may refer important policy matters to a referendum, declare war, conclude peace and other treaties, appoint senior public officials. Emergency measures may be taken only when the National Assembly is not in session, the measures are limited to the minimum necessary. The 1987 Constitution removed the 1980 Constitutions explicit provisions that empowered the government to suspend the freedoms. However, the president is permitted to take measures that could amend or abolish existing laws for the duration of a crisis. It is unclear whether such emergency measures could temporarily suspend portions of the Constitution itself, emergency measures must be referred to the National Assembly for concurrence. If not endorsed by the assembly, the measures can be revoked. In a change from the 1980 Constitution, the 1987 Constitution stated that the president is not permitted to dissolve the National Assembly, the official residence of the president is Cheong Wa Dae. It means the House of the Blue Roof Tiles, so it is called the Blue House in English. The president is assisted by the staff of the Presidential Secretariat, apart from the State Council, or cabinet, the chief executive relies on several constitutional organs. These constitutional organs included the National Security Council, which provided advice concerning the foreign, military, another important body is the National Unification Advisory Council, inaugurated in June 1981 under the chairpersonship of the president. The president also was assisted in 1990 by the Audit and Inspection Board, in addition to auditing the accounts of all public institutions, the board scrutinized the administrative performance of government agencies and public officials. Its findings were reported to the president and the National Assembly, Board members were appointed by the president. One controversial constitutional organ was the Advisory Council of Elder Statesmen, the government announced plans to reduce the size and functions of this body immediately after Rohs inauguration. Article 68 of the Constitution requires the president to hold new elections within 60 days

3.
Hwang Kyo-ahn
–
Hwang Kyo-ahn has also been the Prime Minister of South Korea since June 2015, having previously served as Justice Minister. Hwang was born on April 15,1957 and he graduated from Kyunggi High School in 1976. He received his LL. B in 1981 from the College of Law at Sungkyunkwan University, Hwang earned his LL. M. in 2006 from the Graduate School of Law at Sungkyunkwan University. Hwang joined the Cabinet of South Korean President Park Geun-hye in 2013 as minister of justice, on 21 May 2015, Park named Hwang as Prime Minister of South Korea, following the resignation of Lee Wan-koo due to allegations of bribery. In July 2016, Hwang was heckled and pelted with eggs and water bottles by crowds in the town of Seongju. The deployment plans angered local residents, who raised health and environmental concerns, Hwang was regarded as the staunchest loyalist in Parks cabinet. However, after a dispute with opposition leaders over choosing a replacement, afterwards, Hwang attended the APEC meeting, which was held in Peru, on behalf of Park. On December 9,2016, upon National Assemblys vote to impeach President Park following a scandal, Hwang assumed Parks presidential powers. On assuming the powers of the presidency, Hwang said he felt deep responsibility, the exact extent of Hwangs powers as acting president are unclear under South Korean law. President Trump and Acting President Hwang Kyo-Ahn of the Republic of Korea, January 29,2017

4.
Park Geun-hye
–
Park Geun-hye is a South Korean politician who served as the 11th President of South Korea, from 2013 to 2017. Park — the first woman to be elected as President of South Korea — served the 18th presidential term and she was the first female president popularly elected as head of state in East Asia. Prior to her presidency, Park was the chairwoman of the conservative Grand National Party from 2004 to 2006 and she was also a member of the National Assembly, serving four complete consecutive parliamentary terms as a constituency representative between 1998 and 2012. She started her term as a proportional representative in June 2012. Her father, Park Chung-hee, was the third President of South Korea from 1963 to 1979 after he seized power in 1961. In 2013 and 2014, Park was ranked 11th on the Forbes list of the worlds 100 most powerful women and the most powerful woman in East Asia. In 2014, she was ranked 46th on the Forbes list of the worlds most powerful people, on 9 December 2016, Park was impeached by the National Assembly on charges related to influence peddling by a top aide. Her presidential powers and duties were suspended with the ratification of the impeachment proposal, the impeachment was upheld unanimously by the Constitutional Court on 10 March 2017, ending Parks presidency and forcing her out of office. Park was born on 2 February 1952, in Samdeok-dong of Jung District, Daegu, as the first child of Park Chung-hee and she has a younger brother, Park Ji-man, and a younger sister, Park Geun-ryeong. Pew Research Center described her as an atheist with connections to Buddhism and she briefly studied at Grenoble Alpes University, but left France following the assassination of her mother. Parks mother was assassinated in the National Theater of Korea, Seoul, by Mun Se-gwang, a Japanese-born Korean, a sympathizer of North Korea and a member of the Chongryon, on 15 August 1974. Park was regarded as First Lady until the assassination of her father by his own chief, Kim Jae-gyu. During this time, activists who were opponents of her father claimed to be subject to arbitrary detention. Further, human rights were considered subordinate to economic development, in 2007, Park expressed regret at the treatment of activists during this period. Park received honorary degrees from the Chinese Culture University in Taiwan in 1987, Pukyong National University and KAIST in 2008, Sogang University in 2010. She was elected as a representative in the April 2012 election. Due to the attempt to impeach President Roh Moo-hyun and the bribery scandal of its 2002 presidential candidate, Lee Hoi-chang. Park was appointed as the chairwoman of the party and led the election efforts, in the election, the GNP lost its majority position but managed to gain 121 seats, which is largely considered a great achievement under such inhospitable circumstances for the party

5.
Democratic Party of Korea
–
Democratic Party is a social liberal political party in South Korea. The party was founded on 26 March 2014 as a merger of the Democratic Party, Ahn and Kim became joint leaders of the new party. The party performed poorly in by-elections that July, however, leadership of the party was assumed by an emergency committee. The next year, at a party convention on February 7, Moon, who had previously served as chief of staff for former president Roh Moo-hyun, was the leader of the partys pro-Roh faction, which was opposed to Ahn and Kim. Moon came under fire for imposing a pro-Roh hegemony in the party, as Ahn, the party hemorrhaged support as the factional conflict intensified, falling from around 40 to 30 percent in opinion polls. A survey conducted on November 12–14 showed that supporters of the party wanted Ahn, Moon rejected the demand, and Ahn left the party. Ahn was followed by a number of supportive NPAD assembly members, including his former co-leader Kim Han-gil, meanwhile, Ahn and Kim merged their group with that of another defector from the NPAD, Chun Jung-bae, to form the Peoples Party. Following the defections, the NPAD was renamed the Minjoo Party of Korea, Moon handed power to Kim Chong-in, an academic and former assemblyman who had more recently served as economic advisor to conservative President Park Geun-hye. Kim Chong-in viewed the pro–Roh Moo-hyun faction and what he considered the extremist wing of the party as responsible for the partys troubles, lee left the party in response. Kim offered to resign in March, but decided to stay on as leader after a visit from Moon. Kim affirmed that he would continue to attempt to change the partys image, lee Hae-chan returned to the Assembly as an independent representing Sejong City. Following its election victory, Kim Chong-in announced that the Minjoo Party would change its emphasis from welfare to economic growth, Kim stated that the party would also change its position to support the establishment of for-profit hospitals, in contrast to the partys earlier opposition to the policy

6.
Kim Chong-in
–
Kim Chong-in is a South Korean economist and politician. He has been chairman of the Minjoo Party of Korea since January 2016. He was previously a member of the Assembly from 1981 to 1988,1992 to 1994 and he served as Minister of Health and Social Affairs under President Roh Tae-woo from 1989 to 1990. He remained in the successors, becoming an assemblyman for the Grand National Party in 2004 and subsequently a campaign. He served as chairman of the Saenuri Partys Special Committee to Promote Peoples Happiness during Parks campaign, promoting economic democratization and he was later marginalized by Park, and separated from the president and her economic cabinet, for reasons which are in dispute. In January 2015, he criticized Park for not being able to recognize a problem, after stepping down as Parks advisor, Kim subsequently joined the liberal opposition Democratic Party. As party leader, Kim aimed to unify the party by diminishing the influence of entrenched factions and he targeted leading members of the pro–Roh Moo-hyun faction of the party, including Lee Hae-chan, whom he deselected. Kim faced calls to resign over the process, but decided to stay on as leader. Kim consolidated his control over the Minjoo Party with the favorable 2016 election result and his dissertation at Münster was titled Possibilities and Limits of Social Policy in the Present Social–Economic Situation in the Republic of Korea. He was professor of Sogang University, and board chairman of KB Kookmin Bank, the largest private bank of Korea

7.
National Assembly (South Korea)
–
The National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, often shortened to the National Assembly in domestic English-language media, is the 300-member unicameral national legislature of South Korea. The latest legislative elections were held on 13 April 2016, single-member constituencies comprise 253 of the assemblys seats, while the remaining 47 are allocated by proportional representation. The unicameral assembly consists of at least 200 members according to the South Korean constitution, in 1990 the assembly had 299 seats,224 of which were directly elected from single-member districts in the general elections of April 1988. Under applicable laws, the remaining seventy-five representatives were elected from party lists, by law, candidates for election to the assembly must be at least thirty years of age. The National Assemblys term is four years, in a change from the more authoritarian Fourth Republic and Fifth Republic, under the Sixth Republic, the assembly cannot be dissolved by the president. The constitution stipulates that the assembly is presided over by a Speaker, the Speaker and Deputy Speakers are elected in a secret ballot by the members of the Assembly, and their term in office is restricted to two years. The Speaker is independent of party affiliation, and the Speaker, parties that hold at least 20 seats in the assembly form floor negotiation groups, which are entitled to a variety of rights that are denied to smaller parties. These include a greater amount of funding and participation in the leaders summits that determine the assemblys legislative agenda. To introduce a bill, a legislator must present the initiative to the Speaker with the signatures of at least ten members of the assembly. The bill must then be edited by a committee to ensure that the bill contains correct and it can then be approved or rejected by the Assembly. There are 16 standing committees which examine bills and petitions falling under their respective jurisdictions, as of 2012,246 members represent constituencies, while 54 were elected from PR lists. In contrast to elections to the Assembly, presidential elections occur every five years. A proposal to lower the number of required to form a negotiation group to 15 was passed on 24 July 2000. In order to meet the quorum, the United Liberal Democrats, the legislators returned to the MDP after the collapse of the ULD–MDP coalition in September 2001. From 2004 to 2009, the assembly gained notoriety as a frequent site for legislative violence, the Assembly first came to the worlds attention during a violent dispute on impeachment proceedings for then President Roh Moo-hyun, when open physical combat took place in the assembly. Since then, it has been interrupted by periodic conflagrations, piquing the worlds curiosity once again in 2009 when members battled each other with sledgehammers, images of the melee were broadcast around the world. Elections for the assembly were held under UN supervision on 10 May 1948, the First Republic of South Korea was established on 17 July 1948 when the constitution of the First Republic was established by the Assembly. The Assembly also had the job of electing the President, under the first constitution, the National Assembly was unicameral

8.
Busan
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Busan, officially Busan Metropolitan City, romanized as Pusan before 2000, is South Koreas second most-populous city after Seoul, with a population of approximately 3.6 million. The population of the area, including the adjacent cities of Gimhae. The city is located on the southeastern-most tip of the Korean peninsula, located within South Koreas largest industrial area, The Southeast Economic Zone, the city is the cultural, educational and economic center of the region. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth busiest seaport by cargo tonnage. The most densely built up areas of the city are situated in a number of narrow valleys between the Nakdong River and the Suyeong River, with mountains separating most of the districts, administratively, it is designated as a Metropolitan City. The Busan metropolitan area is divided into 15 major administrative districts, Busan was the host city of the 2002 Asian Games and the APEC2005 Korea. It was also one of the host cities for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, on November 14,2005, the city authorities officially announced its bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics Games. After Pyeongchangs successful bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics, Busan is considering bidding to host the 2028 or 2032 Summer Olympics, Busan has Koreas largest beach and longest river, and is home to the worlds largest department store, the Shinsegae Centum City. Geochilsan-guk existed in the second and 3rd and 4th centuries as a chiefdom of Jinhan and it was absorbed by Silla and renamed Geochilsan-gun. The word Geochilsan means rough mountain, probably referring to Hwangbyeongsan, the mounded burials of Bokcheon-dong were built along the top of a ridge that overlooks a wide area that makes up parts of modern-day Dongnae-gu and Yeonje-gu. Archaeologists excavated more than 250 iron weapons and ingots from Burial No,38, a wooden chamber tomb at Bokcheon-dong. In 757, Geochilsan-gun was again renamed Dongnae, which it is still called, from the beginning of the 15th century, the Korean government designated Busan as a trading port with the Japanese and allowed their settlement. Other Japanese settlements in Ulsan and Jinhae diminished later, but the Busan settlement, called Waegwan at the time, after the war, diplomatic relations with the new shogunate in Japan were established in 1607, and Busan Waegwan was permitted to be reconstructed. The Japanese settlement, though relocated into Choryang later, continued to exist until Korea was exposed to modern diplomacy in 1876, in 1876, Busan became the first international port in Korea. During the Japanese rule, Busan developed into a hub trading port with Japan, Busan was the only city in Korea to adopt the steam tramway before electrification was introduced in 1924. During the Korean War, Busan was one of two cities in South Korea not captured by the North Korean army within the first three months of the War. As a result, the city became a camp site for Koreans during the war. As Busan was one of the few areas in Korea that remained under the control of South Korea throughout the Korean War, UN troops established a defensive perimeter around the city known as the Pusan Perimeter in the summer and autumn of 1950

9.
Roh Moo-hyun
–
Roh Moo-hyun GOM was the ninth President of the Republic of Korea. Rohs pre-presidential political career was focused on human rights advocacy for student activists in South Korea and his electoral career later expanded to a focus on overcoming regionalism in South Korean politics, culminating in his election to the presidency. He achieved a following among younger internet users, particularly at the website OhMyNews. Rohs election was notable for the arrival in power of a new generation of Korean politicians and this generation had been veterans of student protests against authoritarian rule, and advocated a conciliatory approach towards North Korea, even at the expense of good relations with the USA. Roh himself was the first South Korean president to be born after the end of Japanese rule in Korea, South Korea enjoyed the highest marks on the Press Freedom Index as democracy blossomed under his administration. The value of the South Korean won against the US Dollar was the strongest during his administration since 1997. Due to the currency, for the first time in history, South Korea became the worlds 10th largest economy. However, due to his performance in economy and diplomacy, Roh was not a popular president. His economic policy was criticized for persisting with obsolete economic views. There had been a considerable diplomatic dissonance between South Korea and its allies during Rohs presidency as well. S. and South Korea because of Rohs unpredictability. Despite high expectations in the beginning, his presidency encountered strong opposition from the conservative Grand National Party and they constantly accused him of incompetence, and insulting criticism was frequently published in the media. As a result, many of Rohs policies, including a plan to move the capital, after leaving office, Roh returned to his hometown of Bongha Maeul. He ran a farm and lived an ordinary life, sharing it through his blog. He also ran a website called Democracy 2.0 to promote healthy online discussions, the constantly growing numbers of visits by his political supporters were seen as a threat to the Grand National Party. Fourteen months later, Roh was suspected of bribery by prosecutors, Roh committed suicide on 23 May 2009 by jumping from a mountain cliff behind his home, after saying that there are too many people suffering because of me on a suicide note on his PC. About 4 million people visited Rohs hometown Bongha Village in the following his death. His suicide was confirmed by police, Roh was born into a poor farming family on 1 September 1946, in Bongha village near Gimhae and Busan, in southeastern South Korea. His parents had three boys and two girls, and Roh was the youngest of his family, in 1953, he entered Dae Chang elementary school

10.
Geoje
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Geoje is a city located in South Gyeongsang province, just off the coast of the port city of Busan, South Korea. Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in Okpo and Samsung Heavy Industries in Gohyeon are both located on Geoje Island, the city also offers a wide range of tourist sights. The city is made up of a number of islands, of which by far the largest is Geoje Island, There are multiple dong in the city, Jangpyeongdong, Okpo-dong and Gohyeon. Geoje Geoje has a history stretching back thousands of years, various artifacts dating back to the Neolithic era have been found at archaeological digs on Naedo, Sandaldo, and Isudo. While no written history can be found from this era, the digs show evidence of numerous small establishments along the coasts, the first written mention of Geoje appears as, Geoje being one of two main divisions of the Dokro kingdom, a member of the Byeonhan confederacy. The Byeonhan confederacy slowly gave way to the Gaya confederacy, the Gaya eventually submitted to the Kingdom of Silla. In 757, Gyeongdeok of Silla classified the island as Geoje-gun 거제군, modern Geoje is classified as a si. In 1170, Uijong of Goryeo secretly escaped to Geoje when Jeong Jung-bu raised a rebellion against him, instating his brother, Myeongjong as king. Geoje served as a location in preparation of the naval forces for the Gihae Eastern Expedition of Tsushima Island in 1419 by the Korean general Yi Jong Mu. At the time of the Seven-Year War in 1592, admiral Yi Sun-sin gained a naval victory against Japanese invaders near the town of Okpo in Geoje. Yi was referred to by his title, Chung Mu Gong. After the war, a portion was converted into a tourist attraction, during the last few decades Geoje has emerged as leader in the shipbuilding industries. Due to the industry, Geoje largely escaped the negative impacts of the Asian market crash of 1997. Some notable people from Geoje include, Former President Kim Young-sam Poet Yu Chi-hwan, according to the whitebook published by Geoje City in May 2014, Geoje had a population of 243,736,12,240 of which are foreigners. Visitors visit by boat from the harbor neighboring the islands. Tourists also visit Jisim-do for trekking, jisim is known for its Camellia vegetation. However, the Maemi typhoon in 2003 severely affected the islands plant life, another popular tourist attraction at Haegeumgang-do is the Sipja Donggul Cave. Buddhist and Shamanist sculptures can be found in the cave, Geoje is the second largest island in Korea, so discovering these locations is most easily done using a tourist map

11.
First Republic of Korea
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The First Republic of South Korea was South Koreas first independent government, ruling the country from 1948 to 1960. It succeeded USAMGIK, the United States military government, which ruled the area from 1945 to 1948, the Philippines recognized South Korea on 15 August 1948. The First Republic was established on August 15,1948, with Syngman Rhee as the first president, like subsequent governments, it claimed sovereignty over the entire Korean Peninsula, although it only had power over the area south of the 38th parallel. The investiture of the Rhee government followed the election of May 10,1948. The countrys first constitution had been promulgated by the first National Assembly on July 17 and it established a system with a strong president, who was elected indirectly by the National Assembly. Rhee was supported in the elections by the Korea Democratic Party, in retaliation, the members of the party formed a united opposition Democratic Nationalist Party, and began to advocate a cabinet system which would remove power from the president. This led to a regrouping of the Rhee faction into the Nationalist Party, which became the Liberal Party. The countrys second parliamentary elections were held on May 30,1950, the South Korean government continued many of the practices of the U. S. military government. This included the repression of leftist activity. The Rhee government continued the military action against the Jeju Uprising. It also crushed military uprisings in Suncheon and Yeosu, which were provoked by orders to sail to Jeju and participate in the crackdown. This government also oversaw several massacres, the most notable being the Bodo League massacre where between 100,000 and 1,140,000 were executed on suspicion of supporting communism, on June 25,1950, North Korean forces invaded South Korea, starting the Korean War. Led by the United States, a 16-member coalition undertook the first collective action under the umbrella of the U. N. Command, oscillating battle lines inflicted a high number of civilian casualties and wrought immense destruction. With the Peoples Republic of Chinas entry on behalf of North Korea in 1951, Armistice negotiations, initiated in July 1951, finally concluded on July 27,1953 at Panmunjom, now in the Demilitarized Zone. The resulting Armistice Agreement was signed by the North Korean army, Chinese Peoples Volunteers, a peace treaty has not been signed up to now. Following the armistice, the South Korean government returned to Seoul on the date of August 15,1953. After the armistice, South Korea experienced political turmoil under years of leadership of Syngman Rhee. Throughout his rule, Rhee sought to take steps to cement his control of government

12.
Blue House
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The Blue House is the executive office and official residence of the South Korean head of state, the President of the Republic of Korea, and is located in the capital city of Seoul. The Blue House is in fact a complex of buildings, built largely in the traditional Korean architectural style with modern elements. The entire complex covers approximately 250,000 square metres or 62 acres, the location of Cheong Wa Dae was the site of a royal villa in what was then Hanyang, the southern capital of the Goryeo dynasty. It was built by King Sukjong in 1104, goryeos principal capital was at Kaesŏng, and it also maintained a western capital at Pyongyang and an eastern capital at Gyeongju. It was used as the site for civil service examinations and military training, following the Empire of Japans annexation of the Korean Empire in 1910, the Governor-General of Korea used the Gyeongbokgung grounds for the government-general building. In 1939, Japan built an official residence/office for the governor-general on the site of Cheong Wa Dae and it was later dismantled during Kim Young-sams presidency in 1993. With the establishments of the Republic of Korea in 1948, President Syngman Rhee called the building Gyeongmudae and he used it as his office and residence. President Yun Bo-seon changed the name to Cheong Wa Dae after he was inaugurated in 1960, in 1968, North Korean infiltrators nearly reached the building in a bid to assassinate President Park Chung-hee during the Blue House Raid. In the ensuing melee,28 North Koreans,26 South Koreans, presidents Park Chung-hee, Choi Kyu-ha and Chun Doo-hwan used it both as their office and official residence. While President Roh Tae-woo was in office, a new building, official residence. The main office building was opened in April 1991, geomancers have long considered the area in which Cheong Wa Dae is located as an auspicious location. To the north of hugiwawa is the mountain Bukhansan, flanked by two mountains, Naksan, symbolizing the Azure Dragon, on the left and Inwangsan, symbolizing the White Tiger, to the south is Namsan, the protective mountain of the capital. In front flow the Cheonggyecheon stream and Han River, Korean architecture History of South Korea History of Korea List of Korea-related topics National Assembly Building Office of the President Blue House entry in Visit Korea

13.
Alma mater
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Alma mater is an allegorical Latin phrase for a university or college. In modern usage, it is a school or university which an individual has attended, the phrase is variously translated as nourishing mother, nursing mother, or fostering mother, suggesting that a school provides intellectual nourishment to its students. Before its modern usage, Alma mater was a title in Latin for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele. The source of its current use is the motto, Alma Mater Studiorum, of the oldest university in continuous operation in the Western world and it is related to the term alumnus, denoting a university graduate, which literally means a nursling or one who is nourished. The phrase can also denote a song or hymn associated with a school, although alma was a common epithet for Ceres, Cybele, Venus, and other mother goddesses, it was not frequently used in conjunction with mater in classical Latin. Alma Redemptoris Mater is a well-known 11th century antiphon devoted to Mary, the earliest documented English use of the term to refer to a university is in 1600, when University of Cambridge printer John Legate began using an emblem for the universitys press. In English etymological reference works, the first university-related usage is often cited in 1710, many historic European universities have adopted Alma Mater as part of the Latin translation of their official name. The University of Bologna Latin name, Alma Mater Studiorum, refers to its status as the oldest continuously operating university in the world. At least one, the Alma Mater Europaea in Salzburg, Austria, the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, has been called the Alma Mater of the Nation because of its ties to the founding of the United States. At Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia, the ancient Roman world had many statues of the Alma Mater, some still extant. Modern sculptures are found in prominent locations on several American university campuses, outside the United States, there is an Alma Mater sculpture on the steps of the monumental entrance to the Universidad de La Habana, in Havana, Cuba. Media related to Alma mater at Wikimedia Commons The dictionary definition of alma mater at Wiktionary Alma Mater Europaea website

14.
Kyung Hee University
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Kyung Hee University is a private, research university encompassing an educational system from kindergarten to graduate school with campuses in Seoul, Suwon, and Gwangneung, South Korea. Kyung Hee has 24 colleges,71 departments and majors,65 masters and 63 doctorate programs,18 professional and special graduate schools, the university counts Slavoj Žižek, Jason Barker and Emanuel Pastreich among its international professors. The university celebrated its anniversary in 2009. In 1993 Kyung Hee received the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education, as of 2011 Kyung Hee University maintains sister relationships with 402 universities in 68 countries. Kyung Hee was founded in 1949 by Dr. Young Seek Choue, of Physical Education at KHU was set up as the Dept. of Physical Education in Korea in 1949, and became a stepping stone to play a pivotal role in Korean Physical education. It was promoted to the college of Physical education upon completing the construction of the largest gym in Asia in 1955, the doctoral program was opened in 1980 for the first ever time in Korea. Currently, five departments are operated within the college of Physical education, Physical Edu, Sports medicine, coaching, Golf management, in 1972 its researchers demonstrated a drug-free acupunctural anesthesia. In 1998 Kyung Hee established the International Studies of Korean Medicine to broaden its reach to international scholars, the following year it established the Graduate School of East-West Medicine Science in order to blend Eastern and Western diagnostic methods. The medical center is divided into the General Hospital, Dental Hospital, Korean Medicine Hospital, East-West Medical Center, in a 1999 study, the Kyung Hee Korean medicine curriculum consisted of 60 percent Eastern and 40 percent Western research and practice. The college had an intake of 780 students and 54 professors,13 East-West integrated clinics, the Global Collaborative is a summer program that allows international students to attend classes led by scholars and engage in discussions about global governance and sustainability. Through research, education and modules on global governance, or sustainability, the curriculum underscores the environment and human society for future leadership. The Global Collaborative offers two strands of each four weeks, Global Governance & East Asian Civilization and Sustainable Development for a Greener Planet. Held concurrently with the World Civic Forum, the World Civic Youth Forum strand focuses youth on contemporary issues, civic values, engagement. The Global Service Corps emphasizes peace studies in new forms of public service, the program aims to seek means to address institutional engagement in global problems through research, education and practice, and media. Collaborations are with the United Nations, international NGOs, corporations, the Global Student Network links by the internet diverse institutes and individuals around the world to overcome communication beyond barriers of language and culture. The network works with local and international organization to encourage discussion. Previous strands have included environmental issues and conflict resolution with the United Nations, the Global Academy for Future Civilizations is a set of international research organizations dedicated to creating a more humane civilization in the 21st century. The program works with the United Nations and other organizations, the Academic Impact also asks each participating college or university to demonstrate support of at least one of those principles each year

15.
Bachelor of Laws
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The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law jurisdictions. The LL. of the abbreviation for the degree is from the genitive plural legum, creating an abbreviation for a plural, especially from Latin, is often done by doubling the first letter, thus LL. B. Stands for Legum Baccalaureus in Latin, today in Canada the predominant first degree in common law is the Juris Doctor degree having replaced the LL. B. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the first degree in Scots law and South African law awarded by a number of universities in Scotland and South Africa, the first academic degrees were all law degrees in medieval universities, and the first law degrees were doctorates. The foundations of the first universities were the glossators of the 11th century, the first university, that of Bologna, was founded as a school of law by four famous legal scholars in the 12th century who were students of the glossator school in that city. The University of Bologna served as the model for law schools of the medieval age. The bachelors degree originated at the University of Paris, whose system was implemented at Oxford, the arts designation of the degree traditionally signifies that the student has undertaken a certain amount of study of the classics. On continental Europe the bachelors degree was phased out in the 18th or early 19th century but it continued at Oxford, the teaching of law at Oxford University was for philosophical or scholarly purposes and not meant to prepare one to practise law. The original method of education at the Inns of Court was a mix of moot court-like practice and lecture, as well as court proceedings observation. By the seventeenth century, the Inns obtained a status as a kind of university akin to the University of Oxford, with the frequent absence of parties to suits during the Crusades, the importance of the lawyer role grew tremendously, and the demand for lawyers grew. The apprenticeship programme for solicitors thus emerged, structured and governed by the rules as the apprenticeship programmes for the trades. The training of solicitors by apprenticeship was formally established by an act of parliament in 1729, therefore, formal schools of law were called for, but not finally established until later in the century, and even then the bar did not consider a university degree in admission decisions. When law degrees were required by the English bar and bar associations in other common law countries, historically, law students studied both canon law and civil law. Today, this is less common. In most common law countries, the Bachelor of Laws programme is generally entered directly after completion of secondary school, Masters courses are also offered to university graduates, those who graduate from such courses are entitled to use the initials LL. M. Additionally, of the thirty-six Law Schools thirteen of those universities have started offering the Juris Doctor as a Graduate entry degree. Bangladesh is a common law country, like other Common Law countries, Bachelor of Laws degree is a condition precedent to practise as an Advocate in the Courts of Law of Bangladesh. Both LL. B. and LL. B. degrees are offered in different Public, only seven Public Universities offer LL. B. degree

16.
South Korea
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South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea, is a sovereign state in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. The earliest Korean pottery dates to 8000 BC, with three kingdoms flourishing in the 1st century BC and its rich and vibrant culture left 19 UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritages of Humanity, the third largest in the world, along with 12 World Heritage Sites. Annexed into Imperial Japan in 1910, Korea was divided after its surrender in 1945, peace has since mostly continued with the two agreeing to work peacefully for reunification and the South solidifying peace as a regional power with the worlds 10th largest defence budget. South Koreas tiger economy soared at an average of 10% for over 30 years in a period of rapid transformation called the Miracle on the Han River. A long legacy of openness and focus on innovation made it successful, today, it is the worlds fifth largest exporter with the G20s largest budget surplus and highest credit rating of any country in East Asia. It has free trade agreements with 75% of the economy and is the only G20 nation trading freely with China, the US. Since 1988, its constitution guarantees a liberal democracy with high government transparency, high personal freedoms led to the rise of a globally influential pop culture such as K-pop and K-drama, a phenomenon called the Korean Wave, known for its distinctive fashionable and trendy style. Home of the UN Green Climate Fund and GGGI, South Korea is a leader in low carbon growth, committed to helping developing countries as a major DAC. It is the third least ignorant country in the Index of Ignorance, ranking eighth highest for peaceful tolerance. It is the worlds largest spender on R&D per GDP, leading the OECD in graduates in science, the name Korea derives from the name Goryeo. The name Goryeo itself was first used by the ancient kingdom of Goguryeo in the 5th century as a form of its name. The 10th-century kingdom of Goryeo succeeded Goguryeo, and thus inherited its name, the modern spelling of Korea first appeared in the late 17th century in the travel writings of the Dutch East India Companys Hendrick Hamel. After Goryeo was replaced by Joseon in 1392, Joseon became the name for the entire territory. The new official name has its origin in the ancient country of Gojoseon, in 1897, the Joseon dynasty changed the official name of the country from Joseon to Daehan Jeguk. The name Daehan, which means great Han literally, derives from Samhan, however, the name Joseon was still widely used by Koreans to refer to their country, though it was no longer the official name. Under Japanese rule, the two names Han and Joseon coexisted, there were several groups who fought for independence, the most notable being the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. Following the surrender of Japan, in 1945, the Republic of Korea was adopted as the name for the new country. Since the government only controlled the part of the Korean Peninsula

17.
Republic of Korea Army
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The Republic of Korea Army, also known as the ROK Army, is the army of South Korea, responsible for ground-based warfare. It is the largest of the branches of the South Korean armed forces with 495,000 members as of 2014. This size is maintained through conscription, South Korean men must complete 21 months of service between the age of 18 and 35. The army will take the brunt of the personnel reduction planned as part of the Defense Reform 307, the modern South Korean army traces its lineage back to the Gwangmu Reform, when the Beolgyegoon was established by Emperor Gojong in 1881. The 1st of every October is celebrated in South Korea as Armed Forces Day and it commemorates the day during the Korean War when units of the ROK Army first crossed the 38th Parallel, thus leading the UN Coalition north into North Korean territory for the first time. The ROK Army was formerly organized into 3 armies, the First Army, Third Army, each with its own headquarters, corps, and divisions. The Third Army was responsible for the defense of the capital as well as the section of the DMZ. The First Army was responsible for the defense of the section of the DMZ whereas the 2nd OC formed the rearguard. The army consists of 495,000 troops, approximately 2, 400-2,500 tanks,2,700 armored fighting vehicles,5,800 artillery pieces,60 guided missile systems, and 600 helicopters as of 2014. The future replacement for the K1 and K1A1 MBTs has been named the K2 Black Panther, the ROK Army is planning to field approximately 390 Black Panthers. A variation of the K200, the KAFVs can be retrofitted to bear a 90 mm cannon,40 mm grenade turret, M230-1 Chain gun Turret, or MK-30 Chaingun Turret. A replacement for K200 series IFVs are currently being tested, designated as K21 KNIFV, the initial production is set for 2008, with the ROKA planning to field approximately 1,000 units until 2015. The K21 KNIFVs chassis will be constructed out of fiberglass, reducing the vehicles load and enabling it to travel at higher speeds without bulky. When constructed, the NIFV will be lighter than other IFVs, including the American Bradley series and Russian BMP series, other notable foreign equipment in service with the ROK Army includes the Mistral MANPADS. A new infantry rifle, the Daewoo K11 entered service in 2010, the overall concept of this weapon is similar to the American OICW. So equals small, Jung equals medium, Dae equals large, jun equals equivalent, used for Warrant Officer and 1 star general to ensure that they are regarded as officer/general, although these ranks are lower than the same grade with So rank. Won equals principal, only used for Won-Su, General of the Army, each of these is coupled with wi equals company grade, ryung equals field grade, and jang equals general. NCO rank is same as officer, ha equals lower, Jung equals medium, Sang equals high, Won equals principal, because this title is named after Won-Su, to ensure that this rank is higher than Sang-sa

18.
Comparative military ranks of Korea
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In the South Korean armed forces, ranks fall into one of four categories, commissioned officer, warrant officer, non-commissioned officer, and enlisted, in decreasing order of authority. Commissioned officer ranks are subdivided into Janggwan-level officers, Yeonggwan-level officers, the ranks of all three branches of the South Korean Armed Forces share the same titles in Hangul. Most ranks of South and North Korea are identical, with exceptions such as the supreme North Korean ranks. The following table lists the comparative ranks of the militaries in Korea, including their rank titles, the South Korean and U. S. militaries likewise have subdued versions of their insignia in each of their branches. These ranks are honorary ranks and are not considered part of the main rank scheme, the shoulder boards and sleeve stripes of American and South Korean ranks apply only to their navies. Neither the U. S. Marine Corps or ROK Marine Corps maintains a five star General rank, North Korean insignia follow the Soviet pattern, while South Korean insignia follow a mix of United States and British rank insignia traditions. Both North Korea and South Korea share the same enlisted rank structure among all of their military branches. They also have enlisted ranks called Corporal and Sergeant in English, all branches of the South Korean armed forces maintain a single Warrant Officer rank known as Junwi. Warrant Officers fall in between non-commissioned and commissioned officers, the rank is denoted by a gold-colored Sowi insignia and, in the case of the South Korean Navy, a single broken sleeve stripe. The North Korean military does not maintain any equivalent Warrant Officer positions, enlisted rank insignia differ however, The ROKAF uses a mix of American, British, and French practice while the KPAs insignia follow Soviet practice. Comparative military ranks Comparative army officer ranks of Asia

19.
Korean language
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It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture and Changbai Korean Autonomous County of the Peoples Republic of China. Approximately 80 million people worldwide speak Korean and this implies that Korean is not an isolate, but a member of a small family. There is still debate on whether Korean and Japanese are related with each other, the Korean language is agglutinative in its morphology and SOV in its syntax. A relation of Korean with Japonic languages has been proposed by linguists like William George Aston, Chinese characters arrived in Korea together with Buddhism during the pre-Three Kingdoms period. Mainly privileged elites were educated to read and write in hanja, however, today, the hanja are largely unused in everyday life, but in South Korea they experience revivals on artistic works and are important in historic and/or linguistic studies of Korean. Since the Korean War, through 70 years of separation, North–South differences have developed in standard Korean, including variations in pronunciation, verb inflection, the Korean names for the language are based on the names for Korea used in North Korea and South Korea. In South Korea, the Korean language is referred to by names including hanguk-eo Korean language, hanguk-mal, Korean speech and uri-mal. In hanguk-eo and hanguk-mal, the first part of the word, hanguk, refers to the Korean nation while -eo and -mal mean language and speech, Korean is also simply referred to as guk-eo, literally national language. This name is based on the same Chinese characters meaning nation + language that are used in Taiwan and Japan to refer to their respective national languages. In North Korea and China, the language is most often called Chosŏn-mal, or more formally, the English word Korean is derived from Goryeo, which is thought to be the first dynasty known to Western countries. Korean people in the former USSR refer to themselves as Koryo-saram and Goryeo In, the majority of historical and modern linguists classify Korean as a language isolate. Such factors of typological divergence as Middle Mongolians exhibition of gender agreement can be used to argue that a relationship with Altaic is unlikely. Sergei Anatolyevich Starostin found about 25% of potential cognates in the Japanese–Korean 100-word Swadesh list, a good example might be Middle Korean sàm and Japanese asa, meaning hemp. Also, the doublet wo meaning hemp is attested in Western Old Japanese and it is thus plausible to assume a borrowed term. Among ancient languages, various relatives of Korean have been proposed. Some classify the language of Jeju Island as a distinct modern Koreanic language, Other famous theories are the Dravido-Korean languages theory and the mostly unknown southern-theory which suggest an Austronesian relation. Korean is spoken by the Korean people in North Korea and South Korea and by the Korean diaspora in countries including the Peoples Republic of China, the United States, Japan. Korean-speaking minorities exist in these states, but because of cultural assimilation into host countries, Korean is the official language of South Korea and North Korea

20.
Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command
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ROK Special Forces brigades work in close relationship with their counterparts in the United States Army Special Forces Green Berets. ROK Special Forces brigades were modelled after United States Army Special Forces, since 1993, the South Korean military has trained experts by sending officers to various PKO training institutions such as the Northern Europe United Nations Training Corps, Poland, and Ireland. And since 1995, officers and related government officials have sent to the Pearson Peacekeeping Center in Canada. In May 1998, the PKO Department was officially inaugurated within the college, the command includes six special forces brigades and one oversea deployment group. They receive special training for unconventional warfare missions. These seven units began to be established from 1958 and fall under the jurisdiction of the Special Warfare Command, members of these brigades undergo specialized training in weapons handling and parachuting. Each brigade has about 600 personnel distributed in four battalions, with each battalion having three companies and each company having five teams of 10 personnel. The service term lasts 4 years and 3 months in comparison with the usual 1 year and 9 months for a conscript in the regular army. This includes the 3 months of training that all recruits must undergo before becoming attached to a specific brigade and those who wish to remain in service for longer than the set term may do so. During the first month of training, recruits will have to undergo a physical test to ensure they are physically capable of fulfilling their role. This will include 25km runs across mountainous terrain with a 20kg load out under timed conditions as well as daily fitness regimes to weed out physically incapable recruits, firearms training and weapons handling training will naturally be integrated throughout the 3 month training period. The aim of this part of the training is to make the operators as versatile as possible to ensure that they can tackle the difficult Korean terrain. On the ground they will undergo mountaineering training as well as survival training which involves them surviving without communications, resistance to interrogation training is also employed by the organization. This has led to several such as one recruit dying from suffocation while being put in a typical stress position for several hours during captivity training. Moreover, sub-zero training is enforced during the winter which involves recruits being fully submerged in ice-cold water, the Evergreen unit is an amalgamated ROK Army battalion-sized engineering unit, activated for the first time on June 30,1993 specifically for the Somali PKO deployment. On August 30,1999, a UN-mandated referendum for independence in East Timor was held, however, indigenous militias who opposed East Timors independence caused devastating violence. In response to the international request to maintain security and restore order, upon their arrival, the area was still reeling from post-election violence and 40 per cent of the islands built-up infrastructure—including markets, schools and housing—had been destroyed by rioters. The population of 50,000 had dropped to 20,000 as a result of movement in response to the widespread violence

21.
Korean axe murder incident
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Three days later, American and South Korean forces launched Operation Paul Bunyan, an operation that cut down the tree with a show of force to intimidate North Korea into backing down, which it did. North Korea then accepted responsibility for the earlier killings, the incident is also known alternatively as the hatchet incident, the poplar tree incident, and the tree trimming incident. In the Joint Security Area, near the Bridge of No Return,3, situated next to the Bridge of No Return, was the northernmost UNC checkpoint and only visible from OP No.5 during the winter months. During the summer months, only the top of CP No.3 was visible from one other UNC checkpoint, running across the middle of the bridge was the Military Demarcation Line between North Korean and South Korean territories. The North Korean Army had made attempts to grab UNC personnel from CP No.3. 3 being referred to as the loneliest outpost in the world, on one occasion before the incident, North Korean soldiers had held a group of U. S. Bonifas would later be one of the two Americans killed in the axe murders. The two captains did not wear side arms, as members of the Joint Security Area were limited to five armed officers and 30 armed enlisted personnel at a time. However, there were mattocks in the back of the 2½ ton truck, the KSC workers had the axes they brought to prune the tree branches. The tree had been scheduled to be trimmed seven days earlier, after trimming began, about 15 North Korean soldiers appeared, commanded by Senior Lt. Pak Chul, whom the UNC soldiers had previously nicknamed Lt. Bulldog due to a history of confrontations. Captain Bonifas ordered the detail to continue, and turned his back on Lt. Pak Chul, after being ignored by Bonifas, Pak sent a runner across the Bridge of No Return. Within minutes, a North Korean guard truck crossed the bridge and approximately 20 more North Korean guards disembarked carrying crowbars, Pak again demanded that the tree trimming stop. When Bonifas again turned his back on him, Pak removed his watch, carefully wrapped it in a handkerchief, placed it in his pocket, and then shouted kill the bastards. Using axes dropped by the tree-trimmers, the KPA forces attacked the two U. S. soldiers, Bonifas and Barrett, and wounded all but one of the UNC guards, the depression was not visible from the road because of the dense grass and small trees. The entire fight lasted for only 20 to 30 seconds before the UNC force managed to disperse the North Korean guards, however, there was no sign of Barrett and the two UNC guards at OP No.5 could not see him. The UNC force did, however, observe the North Korean guards at KPA No. This went on for approximately 90 minutes until the UNC guards at OP No.5 were informed that Barrett was missing, a search and rescue squad was quickly dispatched and found Barrett had been attacked with the axe by the North Koreans. Barrett was recovered and transferred to a hospital in Seoul via an aid station at Camp Greaves, the UNC guard at CP No.3 recorded the incident with a movie camera. Shortly after the incident, the North Korean media began airing reports of the fight, the North Korean version stated, Around 10,45 a. m

22.
Hangul
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The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul in South Korea and as Chosŏngŭl/Chosŏn Muntcha in North Korea is the alphabet that has been used to write the Korean language since the 15th century. It was created during the Joseon Dynasty in 1443 by King Sejong the Great, in South Korea, Hangul is used primarily to write the Korean language as using Hanja in typical Korean writing had fallen out of common usage during the late 1990s. In its classical and modern forms, the alphabet has 19 consonant and 21 vowel letters, however, instead of being written sequentially like the letters of the Latin alphabet, Hangul letters are grouped into blocks, such as 한 han, each of which transcribes a syllable. That is, although the syllable 한 han may look like a single character, each syllabic block consists of two to six letters, including at least one consonant and one vowel. These blocks are arranged horizontally from left to right or vertically from top to bottom. Each Korean word consists of one or more syllables, hence one or more blocks, of the 11,172 possible Hangul syllables, the most frequent 256 have a cumulative frequency of 88. 2%, with the top 512, it reaches 99. 9%. The modern name Hangul was coined by Ju Sigyeong in 1912, han meant great in archaic Korean, and geul is the native Korean word for script. Taken together, then, the meaning is great script, as the word han had also become one way of indicating Korea as a whole the name could also potentially be interpreted as Korean script. Korean 한글 is pronounced, and in English as /ˈhɑːn. ɡʊl/ or /ˈhɑːŋɡʊl/, when used as an English word, it is often rendered without the diacritics, hangul, and it is often capitalized as Hangul, as it appears in many English dictionaries. Hankul in the Yale romanization, a system recommended for technical linguistic studies, North Koreans call it Chosŏngŭl, after Chosŏn, the North Korean name for Korea. Because of objections to the names Hangeul, Chosŏngŭl, and urigeul by Koreans in China, until the early 20th century, Hangul was denigrated as vulgar by the literate elite, who preferred the traditional hanja writing system. They gave it such names as these, Achimgeul, in the original Hanja, it is rendered as 故智者不終朝而會，愚者可浹旬而學。 Gugmun Eonmun Amgeul. Am is a prefix that signifies a noun is feminine Ahaetgeul or Ahaegeul Hangul was promulgated by Sejong the Great, the Hall of Worthies, a group of scholars who worked with Sejong to develop and refine the new alphabet, is often credited for the work. The project was completed in late December 1443 or January 1444, the publication date of the Hunmin Jeong-eum, October 9, became Hangul Day in South Korea. Its North Korean equivalent, Chosongul Day, is on January 15, various speculations about the creation process were put to rest by the discovery in 1940 of the 1446 Hunmin Jeong-eum Haerye. This document explains the design of the consonant letters according to articulatory phonetics, to assuage this problem, King Sejong created the unique alphabet known as Hangul to promote literacy among the common people. However, it entered popular culture as Sejong had intended, being used especially by women, the late 16th century, however, saw a revival of Hangul, with gasa literature and later sijo flourishing. In the 17th century, Hangul novels became a major genre, by this point spelling had become quite irregular

23.
Hanja
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Hanja is the Korean name for Chinese characters. Borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation, hanja-mal or hanja-eo refers to words that can be written with hanja, and hanmun refers to Classical Chinese writing, although hanja is sometimes used loosely to encompass these other concepts. Because hanja never underwent major reform, they are almost entirely identical to traditional Chinese, only a small number of hanja characters are modified or unique to Korean. By contrast, many of the Chinese characters currently in use in Japan and Mainland China have been simplified, and contain fewer strokes than the corresponding hanja characters. Today, a working knowledge of Chinese characters is still important for anyone who wishes to study older texts. Learning a certain number of hanja is very helpful for understanding the etymology of Sino-Korean words, hanja are not used to write native Korean words, which are always rendered in hangul, and even words of Chinese origin—hanja-eo —are written with the hangul alphabet most of the time. A major motivation for the introduction of Chinese characters into Korea was the spread of Buddhism, the major Chinese text that introduced hanja to Koreans, however, was not a religious text but the Chinese text, Cheonjamun. One way of adapting hanja to write Korean in such systems was to represent native Korean grammatical particles, for example, Gugyeol uses the characters 爲尼 to transcribe the Korean word hăni, in modern Korean, that means does, and so. However, in Chinese, the characters are read as the expression wéi ní. This is an example of Gugyeol words where the radical is read in Korean for its meaning. Hanja was the means of writing Korean until King Sejong the Great promoted the invention of hangul in the 15th century. However, even after the invention of hangul, most Korean scholars continued to write in hanmun and it was not until the 20th century that hangul truly replaced hanja. Officially, hanja has not been used in North Korea since June 1949, additionally, many words borrowed from Chinese have been replaced in the North with native Korean words. However, there are a number of Chinese-borrowed words in widespread usage in the North. The replacement has been less total in South Korea where, although usage has declined over time, some remains in common usage in some contexts. Each hanja is composed of one of 214 radicals plus in most cases one or more additional elements, the vast majority of hanja use the additional elements to indicate the sound of the character, but a few hanja are purely pictographic, and some were formed in other ways. This dual meaning-sound reading of a character is called eumhun, the word or words used to denote the meaning are often—though hardly always—words of native Korean origin, and are sometimes archaic words no longer commonly used. South Korean primary schools abandoned the teaching of hanja in 1971 and it is taught in separate courses in South Korean high schools, separately from the normal Korean-language curriculum

24.
South Korean presidential election, 2017
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The 19th South Korean presidential election is scheduled to be held on 9 May 2017, after the impeachment and dismissal of incumbent Park Geun-hye. Under present law, the election will be decided in a round on a first-past-the-post basis. The election was scheduled to be held on or before 20 December 2017. In the meantime, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn succeeded Park as acting president, after Park was impeached by the Constitutional Court, acting president Hwang has indicated he will not run for a term in his own right. Park Geun-hye of the conservative Saenuri Party won the presidential election in 2012. The Saenuri Party lost the election in April 2016, with opposition parties including liberal Democratic Party of Korea. Commentators described the result as leaving Park a lame duck president, and the Nikkei Asian Review noted that, in the wake of her crushing defeat, rivals sense a prime opportunity to complete the power shift in the December 2017 presidential vote. The Korea Times stated, The drama of deals and power struggles for next years election has already begun. On 9 December 2016, President Park was impeached by the National Assembly by a vote of 234 for and 56 against after her implication in the 2016 South Korean political scandal, the Constitutional Court reviewed the motion of impeachment. On 10 March 2017, Park was formally removed from office, a presidential election must now be held within 60 days. In the interim, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn succeeds Park and will see out the remainder of the 18th term, candidates were determined by an open primary of citizens who registered as a voter between February 15th to March 9th, and March 12th to March 21st. Overall,2,144,840 people registered as a primary voter,71. 6% of the registered voters voted in the primary, putting the vote total at 1,642,640. Candidate was determined by a combination of polls, conducted between March 30th to March 31st, and the votes cast by the delegates at the party convention held in March 31st. Candidate was chosen by a primary and an opinion poll conducted between April 4th and 5th. The primary was conducted through March 25th to April 4th, with 7 regional primaries being held, Ahn Cheol-soo was declared winner of the primary on April 4th. The candidate were Ahn Cheol-soo, former party co-chairman, former co-chairman of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, withdrawn presidential candidate in 2012, founder of AhnLab, Inc. Candidate was determined by a combination of votes from a commission based on 4 debates, held in different region of the country, votes from the party members. Candidates were Yoo Seong-min, member of the National Assembly for Daegu and Nam Kyung-pil, Yoo Seong-min was nominated as the candidate of Baerun Party on March 28th

25.
Student activism
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Student activism is work by students to cause political, environmental, economic, or social change. Although often focused on schools, curriculum, and educational funding, some student protests focus on the internal affairs of a specific institution, others focus on broader issues such as a war or dictatorship. Student activism at the university level is nearly as old as the university itself, Students in Paris and Bologna staged collective actions as early as the 13th century, chiefly over town and gown issues. Student protests over broader political issues also have a long pedigree, in Joseon Dynasty Korea,150 Sungkyunkwan students staged an unprecedented remonstration against the king in 1519 over the Kimyo purge. In Argentina, as elsewhere in Latin America, the tradition of student activism dates back to at least the 19th century, in 1918 student activism triggered a general modernization of the universities especially tending towards democratization, called the University Revolution. The events started in Córdoba and were accompanied by uprisings across Latin America. Australian Students have a history of being active in political debates. This is particularly true in the universities that have been established in suburban areas. For much of the 20th century, the major campus organizing group across Australia was the Australian Union of Students and it was replaced by the National Union of Students in 1987. Student politics of Bangladesh is reactive, confrontational and violent, Student organizations act as the armament of the political parties they are part of. So every now and then there are affrays and commotions, over the years, political clashes and factional feuds in the educational institutes killed many, seriously hampering academic atmosphere. To check those hitches, universities have no options but go to lengthy, so classes are not completed on time and there are session jams. The student wings of ruling parties dominate the campuses and residential halls through crime and they control the residential halls to manage seats in favor of their party members and loyal pupils. They eat and buy for free from the restaurants and shops nearby and they extort and grab tenders to earn illicit money. They take money from the candidates and put pressures on teachers to get an acceptance for them. They take money from the job seekers and put pressures on university administrations to appoint them, in Canada, New Left student organizations from the late 1950s and 1960s became mainly two, SUPA and CYC. SUPA grew out of the CUCND in December 1964, at a University of Saskatchewan conference, while CUCND had focused on protest marches, SUPA sought to change Canadian society as a whole. The scope expanded to grass-roots politics in disadvantaged communities and consciousness raising to radicalize, SUPA was a decentralized organization, rooted in local university campuses

26.
Democratic Party (South Korea, 2011)
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The Democratic Party, until 2013 known as the Democratic United Party, was a social-liberal political party in South Korea, and for the duration of its existence the countrys main opposition force. On 15 December 2011, the Democratic Party, which had been the opposition in the 18th Assembly. The Democratic United Party had strong connections with the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, the forming of the party took place against the background of the forthcoming April 2012 legislative election, in which the centre-left opposition sought to defeat the ruling Saenuri Party. At the partys first congress on 15 January 2012, the DUP voted Han Myeong-sook chairwoman of the supreme council, Han was from 2006 to 2007 South Koreas first and so far only female Prime Minister. Han Myeong-sook vowed to retaliate against the Supreme Prosecutors Office of South Korea for hiding corruption, the New Politics Alliance for Democracy followed the Partys position

27.
South Korean presidential election, 2012
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The 18th South Korean presidential election was held in South Korea on 19 December 2012. Under the South Korean constitution, presidents are restricted to a single term in office. The term of incumbent president Lee Myung-bak has ended on 24 February 2013, according to the Korea Times,30.7 million people voted with turnout at 75. 8%. Park Geun-hye of the Saenuri party was elected the first female South Korean president with 51. 6% of the vote opposed to 48. 0% for her opponent Moon Jae-in. Parks share of the vote was the highest won by any candidate since the beginning of free and his victory brought to a close ten years of liberal administration under Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun. Despite the fact that he was elected in a victory and received initial approval ratings of 70%. At the end of 2011, Park Geun-hye assumed control of the Grand National Party and she distanced herself from Lee and led the party towards the center. In legislative elections in April 2012, Park guided the party to an upset victory and this contributed to an increase in her poll ratings and consolidated her position as frontrunner for the Saenuri nomination. In the DUP, focus initially lay on Sohn Hak-kyu as a nominee, but by late 2011 Moon Jae-in. Although the DUP invited Ahn to join the party, only 2. 3% of respondents to a poll on 21 April thought that Ahn was best suited to be DUP nominee. The DUP itself has been troubled by the split between pro-Roh members such as Moon Jae-in and the Honam wing of former president Kim Dae-jung, ballot numbers for party candidates were given according to the candidates party seat distribution in the National Assembly. Ballot numbers for independent candidates were determined through a lottery by the National Election Commission. The 2012 Democratic United Party presidential primary saw an open primary system implemented for the first time and this new open primary introduced mobile voting, it was hailed as a revolution in voting because people could participate in voting more conveniently. However, controversies persisted during the elections, as questions of the legitimacy. The official result was announced on 16 September 2012, at 15,32 KST, after nominated, Moon stated that he would like to join forces with Ahn Cheol-soo. 11 of Saenuri Party Acting First Lady of Park Jeong-hee Slogan, / Female President in ready Yim Tae-hee Former Chief of staff of Lee Myung-bak administration Slogan, No worries with Yim Tae-hee. The official result was announced at Saenuri Convention, which place on 20 August 2012 at 05,40 KST. The first member of the Saenuri Party to officially announce their candidacy was Kim Moon-soo on 22 April and he stated further that Park Geun-hyes leadership of the party represented only an ambiguously prevailing trend, and could not be relied upon to reach victory in the elections

28.
Korean War
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The Korean War began when North Korea invaded South Korea. The United Nations, with the United States as the principal force, China came to the aid of North Korea, and the Soviet Union gave some assistance. Korea was ruled by Japan from 1910 until the days of World War II. In August 1945, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan, as a result of an agreement with the United States, U. S. forces subsequently moved into the south. By 1948, as a product of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States, Korea was split into two regions, with separate governments, both governments claimed to be the legitimate government of all of Korea, and neither side accepted the border as permanent. The conflict escalated into open warfare when North Korean forces—supported by the Soviet Union, on that day, the United Nations Security Council recognized this North Korean act as invasion and called for an immediate ceasefire. On 27 June, the Security Council adopted S/RES/83, Complaint of aggression upon the Republic of Korea and decided the formation, twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force, with the United States providing 88% of the UNs military personnel. After the first two months of war, South Korean forces were on the point of defeat, forced back to the Pusan Perimeter, in September 1950, an amphibious UN counter-offensive was launched at Inchon, and cut off many North Korean troops. Those who escaped envelopment and capture were rapidly forced back north all the way to the border with China at the Yalu River, at this point, in October 1950, Chinese forces crossed the Yalu and entered the war. Chinese intervention triggered a retreat of UN forces which continued until mid-1951, after these reversals of fortune, which saw Seoul change hands four times, the last two years of fighting became a war of attrition, with the front line close to the 38th parallel. The war in the air, however, was never a stalemate, North Korea was subject to a massive bombing campaign. Jet fighters confronted each other in combat for the first time in history. The fighting ended on 27 July 1953, when an armistice was signed, the agreement created the Korean Demilitarized Zone to separate North and South Korea, and allowed the return of prisoners. However, no treaty has been signed, and the two Koreas are technically still at war. Periodic clashes, many of which are deadly, continue to the present, in the U. S. the war was initially described by President Harry S. Truman as a police action as it was an undeclared military action, conducted under the auspices of the United Nations. In South Korea, the war is referred to as 625 or the 6–2–5 Upheaval. In North Korea, the war is referred to as the Fatherland Liberation War or alternatively the Chosǒn War. In China, the war is called the War to Resist U. S

29.
South Hamgyong Province
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South Hamgyong Province is a province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the half of the former Hamgyong Province, remained a province of Korea until 1945. The province is bordered by Ryanggang to the north, North Hamgyong to the northeast, Kangwon to the south, on the east of the province is the Sea of Japan. South Hamgyong is divided into 3 cities,2 districts, and 15 counties and these are further divided into villages, with each county additionally having one town which acts as its administrative center. These are detailed on each individual page. Some cities are divided into wards known as guyok, which are administered just below the city level. Hamhung 함흥시 / 咸興市 Sinpo 신포시 / 新浦市 Tanchon 단천시 / 端川市 Sudong-gu 수동구 / 水洞區 Kumho-chigu 금호지구 / 琴湖地區

30.
North Korea
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North Korea, officially the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, is a country in East Asia, constituting the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. Pyongyang is both the capital as well as its largest city. To the north and northwest the country is bordered by China and by Russia along the Amnok, the country is bordered to the south by South Korea, with the heavily fortified Korean Demilitarized Zone separating the two. Negotiations on reunification failed, and in 1948 two separate governments were formed, the communist Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea in the north, an invasion initiated by North Korea led to the Korean War. The Korean Armistice Agreement brought about a ceasefire, and no peace treaty was ever signed. North Korea officially describes itself as a self-reliant socialist state and formally holds elections, critics regard it as a totalitarian dictatorship. Various outlets have called it Stalinist, particularly noting the elaborate cult of personality around Kim Il-sung, International organizations have assessed human rights violations in North Korea as belonging to a category of their own, with no parallel in the contemporary world. Over time, North Korea has gradually distanced itself from the world communist movement, Juche, an ideology of national self-reliance, was introduced into the constitution as a creative application of Marxism–Leninism in 1972. The means of production are owned by the state through state-run enterprises, most services such as healthcare, education, housing and food production are subsidized or state-funded. From 1994 to 1998, North Korea suffered from a famine that resulted in the deaths of between 0.24 and 3.5 million people, and the continues to struggle with food production. North Korea follows Songun, or military-first policy and it is the country with the highest number of military and paramilitary personnel, with a total of 9,495,000 active, reserve, and paramilitary personnel. Its active duty army of 1.21 million is the fourth largest in the world, after China, North Korea is an atheist state with no official religion and where public religion is discouraged. The name Korea derives from the name Goryeo, the name Goryeo itself was first used by the ancient kingdom of Goguryeo in the 5th century as a shortened form of its name. The 10th-century kingdom of Goryeo succeeded Goguryeo, and thus inherited its name, the modern spelling of Korea first appeared in the late 17th century in the travel writings of the Dutch East India Companys Hendrick Hamel. After the division of the country into North and South Korea, the two sides used different terms to refer to Korea, Chosun or Joseon in North Korea, in 1948, North Korea adopted Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea as its new legal name. After the First Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War, Korea was occupied by Japan, Japan tried to suppress Korean traditions and culture and ran the economy primarily for its own benefit. Korean resistance groups known as Dongnipgun operated along the Sino-Korean border, some of them took part in allied action in China and parts of South East Asia. One of the leaders was the communist Kim Il-sung, who later became the leader of North Korea

31.
Hungnam
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Hŭngnam was the third largest city in North Korea. It is a city on the eastern coast on the Sea of Japan. The city covers an area of 250 square kilometers and it is only eight miles from the slightly inland city of Hamhung. In 2005 it became a ward of Hamhung, the port at Hŭngnam was the site of the Hŭngnam evacuation, a major evacuation of both United Nations military and North Korean civilians during the Korean War in late December 1950. The evacuation included 14,000 refugees who were transported on one ship and this was made possible by a declaration of national emergency by President Truman issued on 16 December 1950 with Presidential Proclamation No. This operation was the culmination of the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, in late 2005, Hŭngnam was demoted from Hŭngnam-si to Hŭngnam-kuyok within Hamhung-si. The population has been estimated at 200,000 or 450,000, the city is home to the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex, which has allegedly also been used to manufacture chemical weapons. Other industrial facilities include the February 8 Vinylon Factory Complex and it is also home to Hungnam Chemical Engineering College. Hungnam Station is on the Pyongra Line railway

32.
Yeontan
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Yeontan is the name for large coal briquettes used in South Korea for cooking and home heating. Made of coal dust and an agent, they were a welcome alternative to firewood and natural coal partly because they came in a consistent, stackable size. There are 5 standard sizes for yeontan, and the 2nd standard is used in households. The 2nd standard briquette is cylindrical in shape, weighs 3.5 kg, the standard yeontan has 22 holes drilled into its top to facilitate steady, efficient burning, and a household typically used one to three briquettes per day in the winter. A new yeontan would sometimes be placed atop the current one when it was halfway burned, the same fire used for cooking also served to heat the house, through a Korean radiant underfloor heating system called ondol. Introduced to Korea from Japan in the 1920s, yeontan rose in popularity following the Korean War. By 1988, 78% of Korean households used yeontan, but this fell to 33% by 1993 as people switched to oil and gas boilers, the boilers reduced the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, which was a major cause of death in coal-heated houses

33.
Fourth Republic of Korea
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The Fourth Republic was the government of South Korea between 1972 and 1981, regulated by the Yusin Constitution adopted in October 1972 and confirmed in a referendum on 21 November 1972. From 1972 to 1979, power was monopolized by Park Chung Hee and this period also saw continued dramatic economic growth, following the governments five-year plans. The government invested heavily in heavy industries, a variety of events in international diplomacy led the Park regime to reconsider its diplomatic position. Notable were the normalization of U. S. diplomatic relations with the Peoples Republic of China, the South Korean government began to establish diplomatic relations with many countries, such as Canada. In addition, the first round of Red Cross talks were held between South Korea and North Korea, Park also announced plans for eventual reunification. The Fourth Republic was governed under the Yusin Constitution, also spelled Yushin, the term Yusin in Korean means rejuvenation or renewal, but it is also the term used to translate the restoration component of the Japanese 明治維新, Meiji-ishin, meaning Meiji Restoration. The 1963 Constitution limited a president to two four-year terms and he won a narrow victory over opposition candidate Kim Dae-jung. Shortly after being sworn in, Park declared a state of emergency based on the realities of the international situation. In October 1972, he dissolved the National Assembly and suspended the Constitution, work was then begun on a new constitution, which was approved in a referendum held on 21 November 1972. Official results showed an implausible 92.3 percent of voters approved the new document, the document was marked by the enormous powers granted to the president. He was elected for six years, with no limits on reelection, the people elected delegates to the National Conference for Unification, an electoral college that was charged with electing the president. The requirements for candidacy, however, were so stringent that only one candidate could be on the conferences ballot and he was vested with sweeping powers to suspend constitutional freedoms and rule by decree. He also had the right to appoint one-third of the National Assembly, effectively guaranteeing a parliamentary majority, for all intents and purposes, the Yusin Constitution turned Parks presidency into a legal dictatorship. The provisions of the Yusin Constitution were greeted with widespread but ineffective protest, Park was elected without opposition in 1972 and 1978. It remained in effect until after Parks assassination in 1979, the assassination of Park, on 26 October 1979, was a pivotal moment in South Korean history and a portentous one for the Yusin system. Parks Prime Minister, Choi Kyu-hah, assumed power as acting president but was almost immediately marginalized by competing factions in the military, on 27 October, Chun unilaterally assumed control of the KCIA and the government intelligence apparatus. Choi had lost any meaningful authority in government by then, finally, Chun promulgated a new constitution in 1981, pushing it through a referendum, thereby formally dissolving the Fourth Republic and Parks Yusin system. History of South Korea History of Korea List of Korea-related topics

34.
Joint Security Area
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The Joint Security Area is the only portion of the Korean Demilitarized Zone where North and South Korean forces stand face-to-face. It is often called the Truce Village in both the media and various military accounts, the JSA is used by the two Koreas for diplomatic engagements and, until March 1991, was also the site of military negotiations between North Korea and the United Nations Command. The Joint Security Area is located at 37°57′21″N 126°40′36″E lying within the village of Panmunjom, the original village of Panmunjom encompassed a larger area than the current inter-military complex of the JSA, and consisted mostly of farms. The JSA itself is actually about 800 meters south of where the village used to be. It is because of this proximity that there is ambiguity between the terms JSA or Panmunjom. Residing within the North Korean half of the DMZ, the village has not been rebuilt or repopulated, but the name carries on, the village gained lasting fame as the site where the Korean Armistice Agreement was negotiated. The Joint Security Area currently has around 100,000 tourists visit each year through several tourism companies, Military Police of both sides provide security for the JSA with guard forces of no more than 35 security personnel on duty at any given time. The administrative facilities for both guard forces are located within the JSA, while the boundary has remained the same over the years, the buildings themselves have changed. Some have been removed, including all of the KPA checkpoints on the half of the JSA. New buildings have been constructed, whilst some existing buildings have been expanded or simply renovated, the only boundary change of the Joint Security Area was the enforcement of the dividing line within the JSA after the murders of two American officers in 1976. Prior to this, the area was neutral, where members of either side possessed the freedom of movement within the JSA. Since the enforcement of the Military Demarcation Line within the JSA, after the enforcement of the MDL however, the North Koreans no longer had a road leading into the JSA and within 72 hours built what has now become known as the 72-Hour Bridge or Bridge of 72 Hours. The United Nations Command Security Battalion—Joint Security Area was constituted on May 5,1952, as Army Unit 8020, by the end of February 1954 the scope of work declined and the number of soldiers assigned to the unit declined as well. For the next 50 years, the unit underwent several organizational and name changes, on October 15,1994, UNC Commander directed that the unit be known by its present designation, the United Nations Command Security Battalion—Joint Security Area. Originally a purely U. S. Army organization, the unit also included ROK soldiers, in addition, ROK Army officers served as liaison officers. In the mid-1970s the JSA consisted of the JSF company with three platoons of one U. S. and one ROKA officer, and thirty enlisted men, supported by a battalion staff. The three platoons were led by the U. S. officer with the ROK officer as the executive officer, the platoons consisted of three squads, with equal numbers of U. S. and KATUSA soldiers. Sometime after 1979, another platoon was added to the JSF to allow time for training during platoon work rotations, in July 1987 the four platoons of the Joint Security Force company were reorganized to mix KATUSA and US soldiers at all levels

The Joint Security Area (JSA) is the only portion of the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) where North and South Korean …

South Korean soldiers standing guard at the JSA between the blue buildings. View from the south, with North Korea to the rear.

Two KPA soldiers standing guard inside a JSA conference room, in front of the door leading to the South Korean side of the JSA. View from north to south.

A Republic of Korea soldier of the United Nations Command Security Battalion stands guard inside a JSA conference room, in front of the door leading to the North Korean side of the JSA. View from south to north.

A Korean name consists of a family name followed by a given name, as used by the Korean people in both South Korea and …

Ban Ki-moon in Davos, Switzerland - the usual presentation of Korean names in English, as shown here, is to put the family name first (Ban is the family name)

Both the top and bottom lines depict the Korean name Hong Gil-dong, which is a common anonymous name like John Doe. The top line is written as the hangul version (Korean characters), and the bottom as the hanja version (Chinese characters). In both instances the family name Hong is in yellow.